What Color is Blue

Carman Spoto

What Color is Blue

Carman Spoto

LGBTQ,
Experimental

Feature

Philadelphia

What Color is Blue is a feature-length film (approximately 60 minutes) about the internal impotence that we, as queer youth, feel while facing the people, politicians, and organizations that do not want us to exist.

What Color is Blue is a feature-length film (approximately 60 minutes) about the internal impotence that we, as queer youth, feel while facing the people, politicians, and organizations that do not want us to exist.

142 supporters

581 followers

Green Light

RAISED $14,777

for PRODUCTION

142 supporters, 581 followers

Inclusion Statement

What Color is Blue will be casted mostly of transgender and queer artists and activists, and has a set goal to be crewed almost entirely of women and people of color.
Additionally the writer/director Carman Spoto is a queer transgender woman.

About The Project

What Color is Blue is a film that has been inside me for a while. It is a feature-length film (approximately 60 minutes) about the internal impotence that we, as queer youth, feel while facing the people, politicians, and organizations that do not want us to exist. It is about the violence waged against not only the bodies of our communities, but also our minds, souls, and spirits. It is about fighting back against the nihilism and depression that the societal pressures force into us, and finding out what we can do and why we need to do it.What Color is Blue follows a young black trans woman, trying to figure out what responsibility she has to herself and to her community, to take action to defend it. She wanders through the community alongside her non-binary partner. They go to political organizing meetings, visit prisons, perform at DIY art spaces, and eat pizza by the river, all while wondering about the meaning of life and what they should be doing to protect theirs and their friends’ lives.The film comes from my experience in these communities, as a young trans radical queer living in a working class neighborhood in the city. It comes from my friends being beaten and threatened. It comes from hearing about friends who overdose or take their own life. It comes from friends who fight back politically against their oppressors and the gentrifiers of our neighborhoods and our spaces.What Color is Blue will be my fourth feature film, but quite possibly my most personal film. I strive to make a queer cinema not about what makes us queer, but about what makes us human. I have often had queer people and characters in my films, but very seldom do I talk about queer-ness. I think at this point, in 2017, it is contrived, and we need to be pushing new narratives and new stories about who we are, not just what we are.

What Color is Blue is already in pre-production, but we need the funds to pay the amazing cast and crew of the film, who are already joining the team. We are making it our goal to hire mainly LGBT and People of Color for our cast AND our crew for the 12 days of shooting.

Diversity initiatives in film have mainly been limited to the people in front of the camera, but as an industry professional myself (I have made my living as a 1st Assistant Camera Operator for 5 Years,) I rarely see that diversity behind the camera. Most film crews are majority straight white men, with a few white women, and people of color. What Color is Blue will have a crew almost entirely of queers/women/ and people of color. This grant will allow us to make that happen, and make sure we are able to build and uplift the careers of the people who collaborate with us on the project.People want more queer and trans content, even outside of the LGBTQ community. It is my goal to make sure that content is politicized and honest. Our stories aren’t limited to middle class kids coming out to their parents. Our stories are as diverse as we are, and LGBTQ Cinema needs to reflect that. That is what we will do with What Color is Blue.

Incentives

$10

Digital Screening of the Film

It is our belief that cinema, especially political cinema, should be available to everyone. This is why anyone who donates at least 10 dollars to the film will get to view an online screener of What Color is Blue on the day it premiers. In addition, you will be added to the credits of the film under "Seed and Spark Contributers"

$15

Free Stream of All of Our Films

Stream all of the films made through Swine Films, including three feature films, Phaesporia, Hylo, and Going Under, and nearly a dozen short films, including Soless, Antenna, Beaux, and many more.

Phaesporia an Soless are available to view for the first time outside of film festivals via this perk.

$25

Digital Downloads of All of Swine Films Works

Stream and Download full HD files of all of the films made through Swine Films, including three feature films, Phaesporia, Hylo, and Going Under, and nearly a dozen short films, including Soless, Antenna, Beaux, and many more.

Phaesporia an Soless are available to view for the first time outside of film festivals via this perk.

$35

A Custom Video

At this level, I will shoot a custom shot of my choice, and name it after you. I will base the shot off of something you tell me about yourself, or if I know you, something that makes me think of you.

This will be in a collection of videos named after donors of the film.

$50

Custom Bandana

In addition to the previous incentives, you will get a Bandanna with a custom image painted on it, so you can cover your face while you are doing all of your, definately legal, extra-cirricular activities.

Includes all of the previous incentives.

$75

Solidarity Skype 1 on 1 Conversation

Chose between a half-hour Skype conversation with Writer/Director Carman about filmmaking/film theory OR a solidarity conversation with Carman about transgender issues.

$100

Hylo DVD

People who donate at this level will recieve a DVD and Stickers from our 2nd Feature film Hylo. These are the last DVD's remaining, so this will be the last chance to get the film from us.

Includes all of the previous incentives.

Claimed: 3 of 50

$125

Hylo DVD and Poster

People who donate at this level will recieve a Hylo Poster in addition to the DVD and Stickers from our 2nd Feature film Hylo. These are the last DVDs and posters remaining, so this will be the last chance to get the film from us.

Includes all of the previous incentives.

Claimed: 0 of 20

$250

Book Set

Copies of three amazing books by members of our team:Reccurence Plot by Rasheedah Phillips

Style of Attack by the Metropolarity Collective

Decolonizidng Dialectics by George Ciccariello-Maher

Includes all of the previous incentives.

$500

Festival Tickets

You get two tickets to a film festival screening of your choice, so you can see the film as soon as it goes public (Travel not included)

Includes all of the previous incentives.

$1,000

Key Contributer Credit

In addition to all previous incentives, you get listed in the credits as a "Key Contributer"

$2,500

Associate Producer in Credits

All of the previous gifts, plus you get your name in the credits as a producer of the film.

$1,000 to go

costs $1,000

How much would you like to pledge?

$1,000 to go

costs $1,000

How much would you like to pledge?

$

$10

Digital Screening of the Film

It is our belief that cinema, especially political cinema, should be available to everyone. This is why anyone who donates at least 10 dollars to the film will get to view an online screener of What Color is Blue on the day it premiers. In addition, you will be added to the credits of the film under "Seed and Spark Contributers"

$15

Free Stream of All of Our Films

Stream all of the films made through Swine Films, including three feature films, Phaesporia, Hylo, and Going Under, and nearly a dozen short films, including Soless, Antenna, Beaux, and many more.

Phaesporia an Soless are available to view for the first time outside of film festivals via this perk.

$25

Digital Downloads of All of Swine Films Works

Stream and Download full HD files of all of the films made through Swine Films, including three feature films, Phaesporia, Hylo, and Going Under, and nearly a dozen short films, including Soless, Antenna, Beaux, and many more.

Phaesporia an Soless are available to view for the first time outside of film festivals via this perk.

$35

A Custom Video

At this level, I will shoot a custom shot of my choice, and name it after you. I will base the shot off of something you tell me about yourself, or if I know you, something that makes me think of you.

This will be in a collection of videos named after donors of the film.

$50

Custom Bandana

In addition to the previous incentives, you will get a Bandanna with a custom image painted on it, so you can cover your face while you are doing all of your, definately legal, extra-cirricular activities.

Includes all of the previous incentives.

$75

Solidarity Skype 1 on 1 Conversation

Chose between a half-hour Skype conversation with Writer/Director Carman about filmmaking/film theory OR a solidarity conversation with Carman about transgender issues.

$100

Hylo DVD

People who donate at this level will recieve a DVD and Stickers from our 2nd Feature film Hylo. These are the last DVD's remaining, so this will be the last chance to get the film from us.

Includes all of the previous incentives.

Claimed: 3 of 50

$125

Hylo DVD and Poster

People who donate at this level will recieve a Hylo Poster in addition to the DVD and Stickers from our 2nd Feature film Hylo. These are the last DVDs and posters remaining, so this will be the last chance to get the film from us.

Includes all of the previous incentives.

Claimed: 0 of 20

$250

Book Set

Copies of three amazing books by members of our team:Reccurence Plot by Rasheedah Phillips

Style of Attack by the Metropolarity Collective

Decolonizidng Dialectics by George Ciccariello-Maher

Includes all of the previous incentives.

$500

Festival Tickets

You get two tickets to a film festival screening of your choice, so you can see the film as soon as it goes public (Travel not included)

Includes all of the previous incentives.

$1,000

Key Contributer Credit

In addition to all previous incentives, you get listed in the credits as a "Key Contributer"

$2,500

Associate Producer in Credits

All of the previous gifts, plus you get your name in the credits as a producer of the film.

Current Team

About This Team

What Color is Blue is already in pre-production, but we need the funds to pay the amazing cast and crew of the film, who are already joining the team. We are making it our goal to hire mainly LGBT and People of Color for our cast AND our crew for the 11 days of shooting.

Diversity initiatives in film have mainly been limited to the people in front of the camera, but as an industry professional myself (I have made my living as a 1st Assistant Camera Operator for 5 Years,) I rarely see that diversity behind the camera. Most film crews are majority straight white men, with a few white women, and people of color. What Color is Blue will have a crew almost entirely of queers/women/ and people of color. This campaign will allow us to make that happen, and make sure we are able to build and uplift the careers of the people who collaborate with us on the project.

To: Carman Spoto

Message Sent!

Terms

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Basic Info

Before we get started, please confirm the following:

I will not be running a campaign for this project on another platform simultaneouslyI understand that I need to reach at least 80% of my goal to keep the funds raisedI have ( or someone on my team has ) a US bank account and SSN or EIN